


Free like moonlight

by My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: (Idea from commenter), M/M, More tags to be added, Multi, Nurodivergent Tommy, Pre-Canon, Redtinch, Redtinch is endgame, Tommy/Happiness, no warnings apply yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-07-12 04:30:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15987650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate/pseuds/My_Coffee_Is_Hot_Chocolate
Summary: Tommy glared at the slats of moonlight sliding through the bars. Why could they slip so easily in and out when he couldn't? When he had no chance? When he'd been trapped since forever, alone?Charlie back at it with another project? More likely then you think.





	1. Sweet Freedom

Tommy glared at the slats of moonlight sliding through the bars. Why could they slip so easily in and out when he couldn't? When he had no chance? When he'd been trapped since forever, alone? 

The walls of the 'asylum’ had never seemed less welcoming. Tommy may have been dumb, and as the staff said a retard, that didn't mean he wanted to be trapped here forever. 

All he wanted was to go. Back outside, into the world. He was 14, surely spending… more then half of his life here? Had it been that long? It had to have been enough. They had to let him out soon. 

Anxiously Tommy waited, having convinced himself they’d let him go soon. Every time someone entered the small room he shared with 10 grown men, he’d sit up and hope they came to see him. 

For a month nothing happened. 

One day, almost a week after his 15th birthday, someone did come to see him. They looked him up and down, asked him questions Tommy didn't know the answers to. It took three hours. Once the three hours were up he was taken by a nurse, a mean one, down to a door. When was the last time he had gone outside? Did that door lead outside?

Tommy stood in confusion as other people were dragged by nurses next to him. He had no idea what was going on now. All the people made him nervous, he’d been isolated for years. The 10 people in his room didn't care for him, they all muttered to themselves or stared at their hands. 

Tommy nervously tapped a rythem on his arm. What did they expect of him? Would any of these people try to speak to him? Tommy hadn't had a real conversation since he was small. 

It was four hours of people being gathered before something happened. Blinding sunlight filled the hallway where what must have been 100 people stood. Tommy knew that this was hardly a fraction of the asylum's population. 

The light blinded him. He blinked hard, trying to adjust his eyes. Slowly a world he’d dreamed of was spread before him. Cobble streets, open blue sky, tall buildings, no walls, no iorn bars. 

It was almost how he’d dreamed it would be. 

Before the nurses could close the doors, because Tommy knew the doors would close soon, he darted outside. Into the bright sunlight and all new world. 

All the people both excited him and made him nervous. They dressed so much differently then he was used to! All the fine clothes, so much finer then his… Whatever it was called. It wasn't like these people's clothes. 

Without thinking twice Tommy stepped off the elevated part of the road. It couldn't be that dangerous, everyone else had just been doing it. 

He meandered around the streets in wonder. The air was so clean! The new textures were so refreshing, the street under his bare feet and places ready to be explored. 

He bounced across the city, not noticing the looks he got. 

Slowly he started taking notice of boys on street corners. They all shouted, holding identical things in their hands. Things Tommy didn't know the name of. The fifth boy he encountered he decided to ask. As nervous as he was about talking, maybe he could make his first ever friend. That was something he knew. Some of the hand-starerers talked with each other, called each other friend. And Tommy wanted one. 

He tapped the boy on his bare shoulder. “He-hello. I'm Tommy, can we be friends?” He asked nervously. He heard how his voice shook, that wasn't how this boy talked. He sounded confident, shouting something.

The boy turned around. He was just taller then Tommy. And Tommy couldn't place his expression. Not knowing made him nervous. He didn't look him in the eye, Tommy didn't look people in the eyes. 

When he still hadn't spoke, Tommy tried again. “Hi, I’m Tommy. Can you be my friend?”

The boy finally responded. “Um, sure. Tommy, right?”

Tommy nodded, watching his nose. 

“I'm Albert. Um.. Do you have a place? That are looking for you?” Albert asked. Tommy couldn't place his tone either. 

“No, the asylum let me out.” He said plainly. He was stating facts after all. Tommy didn't see the issue in saying so.

Albert paled a little. “Okay, um, do you know the way back?”

Tommy shook his head. “I don't wanna go back.” He mumbled quietly. 

Albert moved forward a little. “Why not?” 

Tommy shrugged. “I like it out here, no screaming. The sky is so blue, and the ground is so new, and everyone is so different.”

Albert slowly put his hand on Tommy's shoulder. “C’mon, I’ll take you somewhere safe. I’ll bet we can find you something warmer then that nightgown.”

Tommy smiled. “Thank you Albert!”

He followed Albert after that, nervously standing to the side whenever he stopped to talk to someone. Tommy was still unsure of what to do. Conversation was foreign. 

Eventually whatever Albert had been shouting about was gone, and they were outside a building. The sun was high in the sky now. Tommy tried to look at it but Albert stopped him. “You’ll burn your eyes out. Here, take my hand. At least until you can see good again.

Tommy nodded, white spots blocking most of his vision. Carefully he took Albert's hand. His hand was warm, Tommy decided he liked it a lot. 

By the time Tommy got into a rythem on the stairs, they were over and Tommy assumed it was the second floor. The white spots were fading now, with the help of a lot of blinking. The room was different from his old one. The bunks were mostly unmade, with small personal items on the bedstands between bunks. 

Albert left to get something, so Tommy decided to look around. He was curious, was this how people lived? 

He found a wooden.. Something. Tommy had no clue what purpose it served or what it was called. There was a rubber band in the middle, and Tommy pulled to back.

When he let go it emmited a loud snap and flew forward. Tommy dropped it out of surprise. That wasn't expected. It made another loud crash and Tommy jumped backwards. Wood on wood was a sound he didn't like, he decided. 

Apparently it was loud enough to attract Albert's attention. “What was that?” He yelled from another room. 

Tommy had no clue what to say. What even was the thing that he dropped? “Um, I dropping a thing?” There, that worked. 

Albert came back in with a pile of various bits of cloth. Tommy couldn't tell what they were from where he was. “Oh! That's Finch's slingshot. Can you put it back?”

Tommy nodded and put the 'slingshot’ back. “What does it do?”

Albert put the clothes down on a neatly made bunk. Tommy followed him nervously. “It's for shooting stuff. Sit down next to the clothes please.”

Tommy obeyed. “What's shooting?”

Albert fished a shirt from the pile. Tommy only knew it from the doctors explaining it to him. It had long sleeves and it didn't look horrible? Albert took a second to explain shooting though. “It's making something go fast at someone or something.” 

Tommy gently took the shirt and shook his head. That felt too rough, way too rough. But now he knew new words! That was good! 

Albert nodded and found a sleeveless shirt. Tommy took it and it felt nice. He decided he liked this shirt. He tried to undo to bows in the back of the nightgown. Changing in front of people was nothing new for him, doctors would make him do it all the time. But Albert stopped him. “How about you just put the shirt aside for a little while while we get some pants, does that sound okay?” 

Tommy, slightly confused, nodded. He guessed that wasn't normal in the outside world. 

Albert handed him a pair of pants. It has strips of cloth and Tommy pokes it. What was that? It was stretchy, and Tommy pulled it. It stretched. Inexplicably, that made him happy. He smiled and streched it again. “What's this called? I like it a lot!”

Albert smiled a little. “Suspenders, they go over your shoulders to hold up your pants.”

Tommy looked up in awe. “Right there?” He can play with it all he wants! 

Albert nods. “Do you like them?” He asks. 

Tommy nods. “Can I get changed now?” After earlier he doesn't want to do something that Albert doesn't think is normal. 

“Yha, bathroom is over here, I’ll show you.” Albert helped Tommy up and helped him gather the clothes. 

10 minutes later, with some help from Albert, Tommy was dressed like almost everyone else. He smiled at Albert.

Albert looked him up and down before grabbing a cap off a windowsill and putting it on Tommy's head backwards. 

Tommy immediately got the Bad Feeling feeling. This was wrong, he didn't like this. It had to be fixed. How? 

Albert turned the hat around so that it faced forwards. That fixed the feeling. 

Albert glanced outside as church bells rang for one o’clock. “You wanna grab some chow? You can meet the others. And if you bring the slingshot Finch’ll be real happy.”

Tommy was confused by some of his words but nodded. “Okay. I’ll grab the slingshot.”

Tommy wasn't so sure how he fit into this world anymore. He kinda wanted to go back. But there was no going back.


	2. New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How wrong can you go when you don't know the rules?"

Walking through the city was still a amazing experience. The sun was so warm, it was a wonderful day. He followed behind Albert, a bounce in his step despite how his feet ached. He loved it though, this was all so new! 

Albert led him to a building with a sign. Tommy tried to decipher it, but he couldn’t. Albert headed inside though. “Hey fellas!”

Tommy hesitated outside while various other people greeted Albert. Did he want to go in there? 

That was answered for him, he was dragged inside by Albert. “C’mon, they’ll all love you.” 

Tommy nervously stood half behind Albert as the large entourage of boys looked him over. So many eyes on him made him nervous. He hid further behind Albert. 

Someone, a tall and lankey boy without a vest like some of the others, walked up. Tommy watched him nervously, but Albert smiled. “Finchy, hey!”

‘Finch’ nodded, smiling as well. “Hey Albie. Who’s the newbie with my slingshot?” Up close Tommy saw that he was much taller. And, for Tommy’s frame of reference, was cute. So was Albert now that he thought of it. The question was what did he do with that. 

Tommy pinched his arm. That could be taken care of later. “Um, I’m Tommy. Here’s your slingshot.” Tommy held it out for Finch. Finch looked between it, Tommy and Albert. 

“Keep it, I have more.” Finch said simply. “C’mon, sit down, stay a while. When’s the last time you ate?” Finch threw his arm around Tommy’s sholder and Albert slotted himself on Finch’s other side. Looking around, almost everyone else was hanging off one another. This must have been normal. Tommy smiled and leaned into Finch’s side with a happy sigh. He’d missed the warmth of people for so long. Nice people. Finch didn’t make him move when they sat down, so he saw no reason to stop cuddling into Finch’s side.

The hotdog, however, got him to sit up. He hadn’t been paying attention when Finch ordered. He’d been focused on the metal clip on his suspenders and the noise it made when it opened. The conversation flowed around him, Tommy not particularly concerned with it. As they waited Tommy’s fascination moved from his suspender clip to tracing the lines of Finch’s hand. 

Finch doesn’t seem to mind, so Tommy keeps doing it until a plate is placed before him. It smells heavenly, and Tommy sat up to watch it. He hoped it was for him. Finch seemed to have gotten a slice of pizza and Albert a sandwich. 

Tommy stared at the hot dog for minutes before eating it. It was the best thing he’d ever eaten. It was gone in moments. Finch chuckled next to him. “It’s good isn’t it?”

Tommy nodded, mouth still full of hot dog. He loved this food. 

Time seemed to pass slower or faster, Tommy couldn’t tell. He just knew that he liked sitting here curled up next to Finch with the hum of conversation around him. Until someone poked him.

Tommy looked up to see a raven haired boy with a huge smile. “Hi, I’m Elmer! I love cats, didja know that cats used to be worshipped by the ancient egyptians?” Elmer babbled. “Anyways who’re you? You’re new, I like new people!”

Tommy took a second. “I’m Tommy, and what’s a cat?” Tommy had scarcely heard of a cat, much less Egypt. 

Elmer smiled wider. “Cats are a kind of animal and they’re adorable and so cute! They’re super fluffy, have retractable claws, and they’re SO CUTE!!” Elmer exclaimed. “They hunt mice and other pests to. And they chase string!” Elmer bounced a little as he talked. 

Tommy was a little confused. But now he wanted to know now. “Can you show me?”

Elmer nodded again. “I sure can! I have a cat, her name is Aurelia like my sister.” Elmer smiled and got back up. Tommy didn’t really look to see where he went. He was focused more on this new information. 

Cats, a animal. Small, fluffy, and Elmer had one. Elmer liked cats. 

Finch, Finch gave him the slingshot. Finch and slingshots. Finch was warm, warm and Finch. 

Albert had helped him, Albert was his first friend, he was warm to. Albert and friendship. Albert and helpfulness. Albert and Finch and warmth. 

Tommy smiled a little to himself. This was the best day in history. Maybe this new world wasn’t as scary as he’d thought. 

No one made Tommy move for hours. He almost fell fast asleep. 

He was snapped out of his daze by Finch shaking him a little. Tommy, trained by years of rough wake up calls, snapped upright and awake. Apparently that surprised Finch, because he jumped back a little. 

Tommy watched him expectantly, feeling confident enough to meet Finch’s eyes. Finch seemed even more surprised by that.

They were silent, and Tommy had no idea what to say. Nervously he stood up. Did they want to get out? Why were they still so still?

Eventually Finch cleared his throat and stood as well. Albert behind him. Finch, much more carefully then before, looped his arm around Tommy's shoulders. When Tommy didn't react badly, both of them relaxed and the flow of conversation resumed. Tommy decided to listen, learn more. 

They were discussing a 'headline’. Tommy couldn't follow much of the conversation, many of the words were unknown to him. He would have to ask later if he remembered to. 

The sun only got lower as they meandered around the city for a little while. Tommy relaxing further and further. He asked more questions, of course. He was curious about this world. 

Eventually they ended back up at the place Albert had brought Tommy earlier that day. Had it really been a whole day? That was amazing. 

The moon, a cresant in the sky, was fascinating. Albert said it changed over the month. Tommy was detirmined to observe it.   
Before heading upstairs, the group from earlier introduced themselves and Tommy tried to associate them all with things. 

Henry was short and could cook. Henry and food. 

Buttons was tall and good at sewing. Buttons and sewing.

Pie-Eater was young and loved pizza. Pie and pizza.

Romeo was flirtatious, according to everyone else. Tommy didn't know was that was and he certainly wasn't sure if Romeo was flirting with him. Romeo and flirting.

Specs was caring and kind. Specs and care.

Mush couldn't cook, he regaled Tommy with the story of setting water on fire. Mush and cooking.

Blink immediately told something funny. Blink and funny. 

Elmer proudly showed him his cat. Tommy discovered he liked cats. Elmer and good things.

Racetrack immediately informed him not to steal his cigar and that he was 'aggressively into both men and women’, and that he liked coronas and horses. Racetrack and.. Horses? Racetrack and horses.

Mike and Ike were always together doing tricks or ‘pranking’ people. 

And that was seemingly the end of the people, which Tommy was grateful for. 

Lying awake in his new, warm bunk under Albert’s, he reviewed the day. So much had happened, and there were so many people. But he liked it. This new life was nice. Tommy could barely wait for the adventures the next day would bring.

‘They’re only tolerating you,’ a small, familiar voice that had been quiet all day whispered. 

‘Shut up’ Tommy told it as he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a while but I'm happy with how it turned out! Tell me what you thought? Also the first chapter everyone was saying they'd never seen this type of story before. I like that.


	3. Just Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Life always sets itself a pattern to break"

The next morning Tommy was woken by a rough shake. He was awake in a instant and sat up, almost banging his head on the bunk above. He looked over to see who had shaken him awake. It was just Henry, Henry wasn’t a nurse. 

It was silent for a few seconds. “Um, Tommy, c’mon. Up and at em’, we got work to do.” Henry gently patted his shoulder and walked away. Tommy was confused. Work? He’d never heard it used like that. He’d been told he was a lot of work. But that didn’t seem to e what Henry was talking about? 

Confused, Tommy got out of bed and pulled up his suspenders just like yesterday. The hustle of everyone made him a little nervous, but he was getting used to it. The chaos was still unnerving though.

He found Albert easily, his fire red hair stood out in the mess of other people. He was teasing Race, holding a thin object out of the other boy’s reach. “Albert that’s my cigar!”  
“Shoulda guarded it better.” Albert said back, smirking and pushing Race away. This seemed like normal bickering. Neither of them seemed angry, so it couldn’t be anything else. 

Tommy remembered the slingshot Finch gave him. It was on the bed stand, what if someone else took it? He had to check.

Thankfully, it was still there. He put it in his pocket, deciding to never leave it abandoned in the open again. 

Someone called his name. “Tommy Boy! I got something for you!”

Tommy looked over, confused. Finch was behind him, smiling with something in his hands. “I got some stuff for you.” 

Tommy glanced at Finch’s hand. What could he have? He felt excitement bubble up, he couldn’t wait to see what Finch had. It had to be exciting. 

Finch had two shiney coins and a few marbles. Tommy was confused, why was Finch handing him marbles and coins? He looks at them, trying to puzzle it out himself until Finch explained. “The coins are for buying papers, to sell.” 

Tommy looked up at him. Buying papers to just re-sell them? That made no sense. The confusion must have showed on his face, because Finch explained. “We sell the papers to make money, so we can eat. You can stay with me and Albie today, to learn the ropes. You look young, that’s good.” 

Tommy still struggled to make sense of this. But he didn’t need to, maybe he just had to go along with it. 

So he did. 

He followed close behind Finch as they walked out the door and through the still dark streets. Tommy found the city almost eerily quiet. Until his new friends got to it. The clamor of conversation as they picked up more kids only grew louder as they walked. 

Tommy tried to block it out but it was all so loud and there were so many smells and textures and the sounds were so loud. He pressed the heels of his palms to his ears and closed his eyes. He had to get it all to stop. 

He was startled by someone putting a hand on his shoulder. A muffled voice made it's way through the death grip he had on his ears. “Are you okay? Tommy?” 

Tommy took a second to open his eyes. It seemed calmer, and he removed his hands from his ears. The sounds weren’t overwhelming, neither were the smells or sights. It was okay. He was okay. 

He looked over to see who's hand was on his arm and found Albert. Albert, who looked concerned.

“I'm okay.” Tommy tried, not sure if he could say it convingly enough. It seemed to satisfy Albert, and someone else, probably Finch, threw his arm around Tommy's shoulders. 

Tommy smiled and leaned into his side, content. 

Albert was happily leaning on Tommy, leaving Tommy smushed in the middle and he was loving it. He didn't know what his feelings were saying, but he enjoyed what the feelings brought. The happiness and something else they brought made him happy, and it seemed that it made them happy to. 

It took them a few extra minutes to get to the circulation gate. Tommy was confused, as he watched Finch and Albert use the quarters to buy papes while trading insults with the guy.

When it was Tommy's turn, he was sheepish in putting down a quarter. The man glared at him. “Ey’, New Kid.”

Tommy slid over the quarter. “I would like my papes please.” He said softly. He found them being shoved at him and he stumbled back. Tommy walked with Finch and Albert. 

Finch played him and Albert for sympathy, saying they were his brothers and they needed food. Albert used volume. Tommy found that how young he looked worked wonders, he played right into the story.

They sold their papers just after noon. They walked back to Jacobi's, repeated the routine of the pervious day, and then sold the evening edition. Tommy found himself establishing a routine easily. 

That night, Tommy watched the others talk and play. He learned patiently and tried to get Albert to play one with him.

Things fell into a comfortable place after that. There were changes, sometimes no one ate sometimes they feasted. It was definitely comfortable after two weeks. 

Until something changed. 

It had been two months since Tommy joined the Newsies when something big changed. One day, Albert didn't come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. I got kinda.... Stuck. But it's back now and I'm powering along! (Be glad I got stuck the first installment of this chapter was bad)


	4. One Instant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot can change in two months, a lot can change in three seconds.

Tommy didn’t remember anything different about that day. Tommy had taken to waking up before the others to watch the sunrise, and he hadn’t seen Albert leave then.

On the walk to the church for coffee and two day old biscuits, Albert was there. He was maybe a little more nervous then he had been most other days, but when Tommy asked he said it was nothing.

So he let it be.

He wished he hadn’t.

Tommy, Finch and Albert sold separately. Now they sold along the same street, within view of each other for safety. Finch at one end, Albert in the middle, and Tommy on the other. Albert had recently taken very much to being in the middle of Tommy and Finch, which was both adorable and funny. Two tall, strong teenagers and a small tuft of red hair between them.

Tommy’s time in the real world had developed his personality. He was definitely more gullible than most of the others, but he threw a mean punch and wasn’t afraid to use it. His friends had special places in his heart though, very soft places. The softest were his two absolute best friends Albert and Finch. He was really proud to call them his friends. Even if he did feel left out when they kissed sometimes. No one had really explained why people kissed yet.

He’d accidentally punched the leader of the East Side, and instead of a war, he laughed. He was almost 18 in comparison to 15 year old Tommy. He thought this tiny kid’s courage was hilarious. Ever since he’d been on strangely good terms. Jacks, one of the East Side boys, said it was because their leader took a liking to him.

Tommy also turned out to be a excellent lookout. He was almost always on high alert outside of the lodging house and it could be useful. Usually no one got past his sight line before being stopped. He and Mush, the self proclaimed ‘muscle’ who was almost shorter then Spot according to Race, were the usual lookouts.

Jack said it was because Tommy could see and Mush could fight. Mush said it was so someone could hold him back from beating someone up too badly.

That was part of the reason Tommy felt so guilty when he and Finch left Albert to go to Jacobi’s. And even more guilty when Albert continued to not show up for hours.

Jack, who for some reason never rubbed Tommy the right way, called for a search party? He got twice as worried and was the second person out the door. The first, of course, was Finch.

And after five hours. Five hours of searching every nook and cranny of New York, even sending Race and Jojo to Brooklyn and Harlem respectively, there was no trace. He was just gone. Tommy even went to the East Side and found no trace.

And only a few of the older Newsies seemed to know. And none would tell as Specs left into the night.

Finch, understandably, was a mess. Tommy tried to be strong, and let Finch cry on his shoulder. He was determined to be what he needed.

After a hour, now late into the night, with still no word, Finch voiced a quiet, unusual request. “Tell me it’s gonna be okay, please.” His voice was almost lost to the silence.

Tommy obliged, of course. “It’s gonna be okay. He’ll come home, and everything will go back to normal.” Above all Tommy wanted to go back to normal. Normal ment Albert and happy Finch and a light banter he’d started with Jojo and the two newbies, Mike and Ike’s. He wanted to go back to normal.

Tommy felt something bubble inside him, like the soda bottles he’d seen Sniper shake to make Henry mad. He wanted to be alone when he burst, but he couldn’t leave Finch.

He spent enough time not being sure, that the lid he had forced so hard down on it after the first few times was leaking and he was crying. He hated it, no one else but him cried so much. He managed to get so close to normal and then this happened.

Before he knew it he was sniffling. Then he was crying. And then Finch was hugging him. Usually Albert would hug him when one of these happened, but Tommy couldn’t bring himself to care.

After a few minutes Tommy heard Finch start to cry to. Tommy tried to put himself on hold, but his emotions refused and he didn’t really know how to rein them in. So then they were both crying. Crying into each other’s shoulders and hoping that Albert will walk back through that door.

Only Specs did, and he only came back with bad news.

Tommy and Finch both sat up and tried to wipe away their tears when the door opened. They both slouched back into the couch when there was still no sign of Albert. Specs sat next to them, defeated and worried about their reactions.

Eventually he had no other choice then to speak.

“I found him. In the Refuge.”

Tommy didn’t understand. If he was there, why wasn’t he home? Why couldn’t he come? He looked at Finch for answers, but Finch was in tears.

Tommy hugged him tightly. If Finch was crying again, this ‘Refuge’ must be bad. He hoped they’d let Albert go quickly, he wanted Finch to stop being so sad. Albert would make it all better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Charlie here, hmu on Tumblr or in the comments with questions, concerns or requests! Also I'm sorry these take forever, I'm mostly writing these at school or at like 9 at night.
> 
> Also who here loves smol Mush, show of hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to feed the author with kudos and comments! They're all appericated!


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